


Interlude

by Redembe



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-23 23:57:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7484952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redembe/pseuds/Redembe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a rare moment of peace, Raymond and Dembe reconnect.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Interlude

**Author's Note:**

> As always, they aren't mine (mores the pity) and I make no money off this. Also if you read my fiction please know that 99% of it contains graphic m/m sex. If that's not your cuppa then hit the back button. Please feed the author! I love constructive comments. In other news... I cannot believe more people don't write this pairing! The moment I saw that scene in the Anslo Garrick episode I was hooked. Ah well! I guess if you want something done you gotta do it yourself. (Although if anyone knows of some really good Red/Dembe fic feel free to let me know.)

"Have I ever told you that you are literally the only person in the entire world whom I can trust implicitly?" 

Dembe looked up from the tablet's screen and over at Red who lay reclining on the hotel's king-size bed. He gave the older man a half smile and sighed. "I think it's 'who'." He corrected gently, a hint of mischief in his voice.

"No, no," Red replied, "It's definitely whom. The statement stands either way."

"What about Elizabeth?" Dembe asked, "Or Mr. Kaplan? The three of you have been thick as thieves for the past few months." 

This was all foreplay, Raymond realized. His subtle jabs at their ever fluctuating intimacy and Dembe's gentle reminders of his sometimes fickle attentions.

"It will be twenty years in August. No one else has been able to stand me for that long."

Dembe chuckled darkly. "You forget that for some of that time I was but a frightened boy, more like a..."

"No," Raymond interrupted. "I haven't thought of you that way in recent memory." 

"I should hope not." Dembe replied, rising from his seat and stretching languidly, looking like a great jungle cat awaking to begin an evening hunt. He placed the tablet carefully on the desk and turned to face his lover. "Do you remember the day you found me?" He asked, tone turning from playful to serious.

Raymond frowned, not liking the change in mood. "Of course I remember. I doubt I shall ever forget it." Images flashed across his brain and he wiped a hand down his face, trying to scrub the memories away.

"We see that day so differently, you and I." Dembe crossed the room to sit comfortably on the bed, the heat of his body reaching across the inches of space between them. Red could feel it against his hip where the distance was closest.

"You see it as the beginning of your real life, your salvation," Red recited. This was all familiar ground. 

"And you see it as a corruption of youth." Dembe shook his head. "I would have died in that godforsaken place, Raymond, and if you are still under the impression that I would have rather succumbed to the whims of some sadistic pedophile then maybe it is YOU who should have had all of that expensive therapy.” 

“I should have left you with some nice family,” Raymond persisted. 

“What? Like Elizabeth? Maybe Sam should have raised me too? We could have been brother and sister, she and I? What is all of this about, Raymond? Is it to be maudlin self-reproach this evening? I am sorry but I forgot to pack my violin for this trip.” Dembe softened the rebuke in his voice by sliding a stealthy arm over Ray’s stomach and leaning down so that mere inches separated their faces. As always, Ray fell hypnotized into the other man’s dark gaze. “Are you under the impression that you have coerced me into your bed? I seem to recall it was me who propositioned you. In fact, I remember having to be quite persistent about it.”

As always, Raymond had nothing to say to that. It was true after all. Living most of one’s life on the run, a fugitive from both lawful and unlawful forces, often led a person down roads that they might not otherwise have travelled. Raymond Reddington recognized the fragility of life in all its various forms and rarely passed up an opportunity to experience life’s all too transient pleasures. The fact that Dembe happened to be male held less relevance for him than the fact that he’d spent the first five years of their acquaintance playing the role of father and mentor to the younger man. It had taken some significant persuasion for Dembe to finally get him to consider allowing their relationship to evolve.

The silence between them grew but wasn’t unpleasant. After sixteen years as intimate companions awkward silences had long since disappeared. Finally, when it seemed Ray wasn’t going to be seduced out of his funk, Dembe sighed. “I’m going to take a shower. I’ve pulled up the financials you asked for on that Saudi Sheik.” He gestured to the tablet on the desk as he retreated to the bathroom.

Dembe was right of course, he reflected as he lay staring up at the ceiling. He usually was. The younger man’s ability to be unflinchingly honest with him while unerringly giving excellent advice was one of the reasons Red respected him so much. Very few people had the guts to get in Red Reddington’s face and tell him when he was being an arrogant asshole or making some horrendously terrible decision that might kill lots of the wrong people. “I’ve surrounded myself with sycophants and sniveling minions,” he griped to himself. But he knew that wasn’t quite true. He did have other loyal allies that did occasionally call him on his bullshit. 

A bark of ironic laughter seemed to chase away the worst of his melancholy. “Raymond, you old fool, if you’d rather spend this rare moment of peace moaning about your lot in life instead of finding pleasure in the arms of your lover then you might as well throw in the towel.” 

Saudi Sheiks could wait, he decided as he moved off the bed. He left a trail of very expensive clothes on the way to the suite’s large bathroom.

Being disgustingly wealthy did have its advantages, Ray reflected as he stood naked outside of one of the most opulent showers he had ever seen. Big enough for at least four full-grown men, the suite’s white marble shower boasted half a dozen shower heads at various heights and ample room to, perhaps, perform an entire gymnastic floor routine (or maybe just ravish your lover). He stood for a moment watching Dembe. The younger man’s body was so familiar to him that he could have drawn it blind-folded. He knew every sculpted muscle, every raised scar.

Dembe's body, much like his own, was marked like a map that told of an entire epic of suffering. Every time he laid his hands on the other man’s ebony skin he hoped that he helped those memories recede.

Dembe turned with a smile, moving the soapy washcloth down over his chest, his eyes locking with Red’s. There was really no sneaking up on a bodyguard as skilled as he was. “Are you coming in, or shall I put on a show?” The mischievous spark was back in Dembe’s eyes as he continued the pretense of soaping himself.

Red returned his sly smile with one of his own. “Maybe I’ll give you a show,” he said, dropping his hand down to palm his rising erection. 

They spent some moments in an unspoken mutual challenge; who would break and go to whom first? As usual, Red’s resolve was less than formidable when it came to sex with Dembe. The younger man laughed darkly as Red opened the glass door and stepped into the shower stall.

“Laughing at me, are you?” Red growled, prowling directly into Dembe’s space and crowding him against the wall. The washcloth fell with a loud plop to the floor, forgotten.

“I would never dream of bruising your admittedly huge ego that way.” 

Both men erupted in laughter at the jibe, holding onto each other while their bodies shook, sexual gratification forgotten in favor of this much-needed release of tension.

Finally, Red groaned expressively and fastened his mouth to the side of Dembe’s neck, licking at the water droplets there and enjoying the other man’s clean, warm skin. Dembe hissed, goose-bumps breaking out on his arms at the sensation. He slid his hands down Ray’s now wet back and gripped his ass hard. He received a rather sharp nip in return and threw back his head, giving Ray more access. 

“You know what else I love about these hotel showers?” Ray spoke the words into the skin of his throat, the vibrations almost distracting Dembe from the thread of conversation.

“No, what?” He managed, kneading the other man’s cheeks aggressively.

“Endless supplies of hot water,” Ray said, fastening his mouth at the base of the younger man’s neck and sucking at the skin there, leaving a dark love-mark in his wake.

“Beats the fuck out of the temperamental plumbing in Bangledesh for sure,” Dembe responded when Ray came up for air.

“You bet your ass it does.” Ray dropped his hands down to squeeze the parts in question, bringing their cocks together to rub pleasantly against each other.

“How about we move this party to the bed, huh?” Not even breaking the rhythm, Dembe twisted the knob to shut off the water and carefully maneuvered them out of the shower, throwing a large, fluffy hotel towel on top of Ray’s head and then grabbing one for himself.

Ray laughed at his lover’s antics, wondering at the same time how anyone could maintain such a playful side after everything he’d been through. They toweled off quickly, ardor cooling a bit as wet bodies met the air-conditioned hotel room. Dropping his towel to the floor, Ray reached out and palmed Dembe’s cheek softly in his hand. The younger man turned his face into his lover’s caress, their eyes locking once more. 

“You are so dear to me, my friend,” Ray said, overwhelmed with affection. 

“Come to bed, Raymond.” The reply was a prayer and a promise.

Hotels of this caliber always seemed to have an unnatural silence about them. No traffic noise intruded from outside. Nothing could be heard from the rooms adjoining theirs. The AC unit worked without so much as a whir or whine. The vacuum of quiet allowed Ray to focus on all the little sounds of their lovemaking. The rustling of the comforter and sheets as Dembe pulled them back, their mingled breaths, gradually becoming heavier and more excited. They moved together onto the unmade bed, kneeling face to face, mouths playing against one another and hands roaming.

Not for the first time, Ray wished his scarred back had regained more feeling than it had. Dembe’s hands felt too distant as they traced the web of tissue that made up his skin there. In these moments he resented anything that put distance between them. 

As they kissed, Dembe maneuvered them so that he was laying back against the pillows with Raymond on top of him. Even though Ray was technically lighter than him, it still felt comforting to have the older man’s body draped over him like a blanket. They were of a height so rubbing off in this position was always a popular activity. He had something different in mind for tonight though. It had been ages since he’d felt Ray inside him. 

“I want you,” he said, biting Ray’s earlobe, making him moan. “Please.” He added; a blatant manipulation. He knew Ray could never resist him when he begged that way.

“Yeah,” Ray panted, “what do you want, huh?”

Dembe moved his head so he could see Ray’s expression. The older man’s pupils were dilated so wide that hardly any green could be seen around them and his breath came fast and hard. 

“I want you inside me.” Dropping a hand down to rub Ray’s erection he illustrated his point.

Ray smiled slyly and gave his neck a sharp nip. “Stay right here.” He slipped out of the younger man’s embrace and went to his overnight bag, rooting around briefly and coming up with a half-empty tube of lube. He held it up and waggled his eyebrows.

Dembe laughed. “Come here, you,” he ordered.

Ray climbed back onto the bed, dropping the lube onto the mattress where it could be reached conveniently. He knelt up, bracketing Dembe with his arms and legs. Dembe slid his hands up Ray’s arms, feeling the muscles tense and move under his caress. He held the other man’s gaze while he slid he legs out from under his lover, deftly bringing his knees up to rub against Ray’s flanks. Ray growled low in his throat, enjoying the younger man’s seduction.

“Come on, then,” Dembe whispered.

Ray picked up the tube and with a practiced move squeezed some out into his right palm, letting the slick stuff drip onto his fingers. He knelt up between Dembe’s legs and ran his left hand down the inside of the younger man’s thigh. Dembe responded by opening himself shamelessly for his lover. He raised his arms above his head, consciously posing for him, putting his muscles in relief, showing off a bit. He drew his legs up so Ray had an unobstructed view of the place he would soon conquer.

Ray watched his lover’s expression as he swept two slick fingers over his hole. Dembe hissed and closed his eyes in pleasure. After many years together, slow preparation was hardly necessary but there was no way in hell Ray would ever give up the joy of watching Dembe as he was opened, played with, driven to the brink of pleasure before finally being entered. There were just some times that slow was best, even if not strictly necessary.

As he worked one, then two then three fingers into the man writhing beneath him, he listened to his own breathing matched with Dembe’s. He enjoyed the slow burn and pull of his increasing desire as his own hard cock bobbed untouched between his legs. Finally, he took hold of Dembe’s cock with his left hand, smearing the pre-cum down the shaft and jacking him roughly, producing loud yell from the other man.

“Fuck! Ray, I’ll cum if you keep that up,” he panted, gripping the mattress above his head in an effort to maintain control.

“Go ahead,” Ray responded, “it’s not as if I can’t keep it up long enough to get you off again.”

“Arrogant bastard,” came the hissed response.

“Damn right,” Ray said as he quickly removed his fingers and entered Dembe with one powerful thrust.

“Yeah, oh yeah.”

“Like that, do you?” Ray teased, pumping with measured strokes. 

For a man in his mid-forties, Dembe reflected, Ray had some sensational stamina. And thank all the gods that he could currently name.

As he moved languidly inside his lover, Ray bent to cover the other man’s mouth, plunging his tongue in with the same measured strokes he was using on his ass. For long moments they stayed locked together, moving with the rhythm of long practice.

After long minutes, Ray felt the tension in his balls increase, drawing them up towards the shaft. He sat up, throwing his head back and shifting their position. Now he was kneeling on the bed, Dembe almost bent double in front of him, the other man’s pelvis resting on his thighs. At this angle it was easy to drive powerful strokes deep into the other man’s ass. Dembe reached up and griped Ray’s biceps, doing his best to meet the older man’s pace. He was close as well. As Ray approached his climax, he shifted slightly, trying to find Dembe’s prostate with the head of his cock. He knew he got it when the younger man stiffened abruptly and hissed.

“Again, right there,” Dembe said, rolling his hips to increase the sensation as Ray thrust hard again. “Fuck yeah, that’s it!” He yelled, grunting as he felt his balls draw up, his orgasm seeming to go on and on as Ray continued to thrust hard against his prostate.

As he began to come back to earth he felt Rays’ thrusts becoming more erratic, the older man finally allowing himself to lose control and find his own release.

Dembe watched Ray come down from his own orgasm. This was one of the few moments when he could catch his lover in a totally unguarded moment. By nature and necessity the so-called Concierge of Crime spent most of his life wearing various masks that hid his true emotions and vulnerabilities. Dembe never forgot what a gift it was that the other man allowed him to see past those walls.

Before Ray disengaged from him, he bent to seal their lips together in a tender kiss. “I hope I never get too old for this,” Ray proclaimed, still breathing heavily, as he pulled out and sank down beside his lover.

Dembe smiled as he stretched his legs, feeling relaxed and sated. He rolled to the side to look down at Ray who turned his head to smile lazily at him.

“I can’t imagine such a time. Your virility and stamina are almost legendary.” He couldn’t quite keep the laughter out of his voice.

“Oh, do shut up,” Ray laughed out loud, snatching the pillow out from under Dembe’s head and whacking him with it. A playful tussle ensued that left both men panting and slightly bruised. Dembe reflected that it was totally worth it to see Ray let loose and really play for once. Lately their lives tended to fluctuate between serious, dangerous, tragic and occasionally a combination of all three. He considered it his mission in life to make sure that Ray never forgot that there was good left in the world.

“I suppose we need another shower.”

“I think you’re on your own this time, Raymond. Wake me in an hour or so.” He stretched again and enjoyed the spark he saw in the older man’s eyes as he watched the movement. 

“Insatiable.” He couldn’t resist the tease as he pulled the sheet over himself so it covered most of his lower half.

“Not quite,” Ray replied, smoothing a hand over his covered hip. “I really do need to take a look at those files before our flight this evening.” 

Dembe watched as Ray slid out of bed and disappeared into the bathroom. He was sound asleep by the time the soft hiss of water hitting tile could be heard through the door.

END


End file.
